Chapter 2

I publicly tore up the engagement agreement with Connor and immediately announced my marriage instead.

This act was like a bombshell, sending shockwaves through the entire upper crust.

On one hand, everyone speculated wildly about who would be willing to marry me.

On the other hand, they were convinced I was just a lovesick madwoman, hopelessly devoted to Connor, and this was merely a ploy of playing hard to get to attract attention.

I became the laughingstock of everyone.

Connor and Madeline, of course, didn't miss the opportunity.

They quickly held a press conference. Seated on the stage, one played the part of the heartbroken, deeply concerned man, while the other feigned tearful distress.

"Brenna... she... she was just confused for a moment and was deceived by some scoundrel. I will wait for her to come back to her senses," Connor said in front of the cameras, perfectly embodying the role of the devoted, good man he excelled at playing.

Madeline handed him a tissue and said with sobs, "Brenna's been naive since she was a little girl. It's all our fault for not protecting her better. Please, everyone, stop blaming her. Let me bear all the blame."

Their well-rehearsed duet perfectly cast themselves as the victims, while I was painted as the ungrateful, promiscuous villain.

A torrent of online abuse came flooding my way.

"Brenna, get out of the business world!"

"Whoever marries her is asking for trouble. I felt sorry for Mr. Dale."

"Madeline is truly like an angel. Even after being treated this way, she still defends Brenna."

I sat on the couch in Jacob's villa and scrolled through these comments. A smirk played on my lips.

Good. The bigger the commotion, the better.

Then the harder they would fall.

"Mrs. Harrison, the car is ready."

Richard stood at the door and looked at me with a complicated expression.

He probably thought Jacob had married a huge trouble-maker.

I turned off my phone and stood up. "Let's go to watch the show."

At the press conference, camera flashes were incessant.

Connor and Madeline were basking in the sympathy and admiration of the crowd, pushing their act to its climax.

Just then, the main doors to the venue were flung open.

Dressed in a sharp white pantsuit and towering ten-centimeter heels, I walked in step by step under the gaze of everyone present.

"Connor, you said you'd wait for me?" I walked up to the front of the stage and smiled as I looked at him.

Connor's face immediately froze. He clearly hadn't anticipated my appearance.

Madeline shrank back in fright, and her eyes were filled with guilt.

"Brenna? What are you doing here? You are not well. Come home with me now." Connor quickly regained his composure. He stood up and tried to pull me back, continuing his act of deep love for me.

I sidestepped and tossed a voice recorder onto the table. "How about we listen to this before you decide whether you want to wait for me or not?"

I pressed play.

Madeline's familiar, coquettish voice echoed throughout the entire venue. "Connor, don't worry. My dad loves me the most. As long as we get him to catch Brenna fooling around with another guy, he'll get mad at her and hand the company over to you."

Then, Connor's gentle and smug voice followed. "Madeline, you're so smart. Once I get my hands on the Oliver Group, I'll dump Brenna, that idiot, and marry you, with all the glory you deserve."

"And what about Brenna?"

"She has mental problems, so the best place for her is a mental hospital."

The recording ended.

Dead silence filled the room.

All the reporters went wild. Camera flashes lit up the room as they focused on the two pale-faced figures on stage. The sound of shutters clicked incessantly.

The expressions of Connor and Madeline were as vibrant as a painter's palette.

"Not that... It isn't real! It's fake!" Connor screamed in a hoarse voice.

I glanced around slowly before saying, "Everyone, I've already sent the original file of the recording to each of your inboxes. Besides, I've included a little gift." It's a detailed account of all the transactions, starting three years ago, when Connor embezzled funds from the Oliver Group to cover the losses of his own company. It's not a large sum, just two billion dollars."

I smiled deeper as I looked at Connor's deathly pale face. "Connor, how do you plan to repay the two billion?"